KATE

Technology Assessment and More: A Work in Progress

Instructional Illuminations

By:   Linda Payne, District Technology Instruction Coordinator, Henderson County Schools

The past decade has seen the availability of technology grow by leaps and bounds in businesses, schools, and in the homes of our students. The No Child Left Behind Act, signed into law six years ago, set a national goal for the technology literacy of all 8th graders. In order for 8th grade students to display proficiency in technology literacy, their venture must begin in Kindergarten by incorporating technology into the curriculum.

In Henderson County Schools, technology trainings have been conducted for both students and teachers, but the success of those trainings was not measured in tangible ways. This year, the 8th grade students took the first technology assessment delivered via Moodle, an open source, course management system. The 8th grade students were given a benchmark computer literacy test delivered through Moodle. As a follow-up, they were provided a technology forum with instructional aids delivered in the same manner.

Henderson County Schools adopted Moodle three years ago when the district received the EETT grant. The use of Moodle gathered momentum during the 2006-07 school year. Faculty members from the middle schools as well as the high school began using the system in various ways such as book and poetry discussion forums and assignment delivery.

During the 2007-08 school year, the delivery of coursework via Moodle evolved at the middle school level. Teachers discovered there are several reasons for moving toward the use of this software. All course content is available in one location for both teachers and students. The teacher maintains complete control over deadlines and assignment availability and has the ability to communicate with individual students. With the Internet, there is easy access to all coursework from both inside and outside the classroom. Both teachers and students are improving their technology skill development. Moodle provides more options for delivery by the teacher and more options for assignment completion by the students.
With Moodle available, the district is in the process of preparing a technology literacy test for teachers too. It takes literate teachers to create literate students!
For more information, contact Linda Payne, linda.payne@henderson.kyschools.us

Related Lesson Plans, Activities, and Classroom Resources

• Henderson County Moodle
• Welcome to Moodle!
• Technology Skills Continuum
• Technology Framework for Kentucky